A month after AMC pulled the plug on the whodunit, two potential suitors with experience bringing axed TV series back to life — Netflix and DirecTV — are in early talks with Fox TV Studios to pick up a third season of the show, multiple sources confirm to TVLine exclusively.

A rep for Netflix declined to comment, while a DirecTV spokesperson said, “We are constantly having conversations about bringing new shows to Audience Network, and we do take a look at everything that is available, but we haven’t made any decisions this summer in regards to new programming.”

This past spring, Netflix — which is behind the second coming of Arrested Development — flirted with acquiring ill-fated dramas The River and Terra Nova. DirecTV, meanwhile, rescued critical darlings Friday Night Lights and Damages from certain death.

In an interview one month before The Killing‘s cancellation, leading man Joel Kinnaman told TVLine that he believed that there was life in the show beyond the Rosie Larsen mystery that dominated the first two seasons. “We’ve invested a lot in these characters and want to see how they continue their journey,” he said. “I feel like Linden and Holder [are] just [getting] started.”

One of the main reasons why the numbers for season 2 were so bad was that the crime wasn’t solved in the season 1 finale. Simple.

Yes, people and critics have mentioned the writing during both seasons, but the climax to who killed Rosie was such a great episode. Not one second of it was bad, and in all honesty the actual conclusion to the show in terms of ‘whodunnit’ was better than the original Danish version.

A new case, a 3rd season with the great cast, would be amazing. Welldone to Netflix and DirecTV for looking into picking it up!

Loved The Killing. It had it all — writing, acting, Holder and Linden. Fabulous gloomy dark setting, always raining and foreboding. Hoping it returns. Even if it’s on DirecTv at least Season 3, and hopefully more, will be available.

I agree with you Josh ! I’m hoping they get it right this time and solve the murder within a series and not let it drag on and on…..people need a reason to stay with a program and not just left to hang for weeks and weeks on end :(

I don’t know what is wrong with amc…… they and the critics must have their heads in a dark place…. the killing is a great show. The actors are awsum and the storyline is great.. been waiting for it to return……… sure hope it does…. better then the garbage that’s on TV now !!!! Geesh give me a break.

I laugh at your blatent ignorance towards directv. You should probably get your facts straight about a company and how many suscribers it actually has. The facts are as follows, they have more subscribers than any other company out there. They also kept friday night lights and damages alive. Those are quality shows by the way. The killing was a quality show. It would be great to see it back, and when it does, i hope you miss it due to you not having directv

Let’s hope DirecTV saves the criminally underrated ‘The Killing’ AND if Netflix is so keen on bringing back gone-too-soon faves, I only hope they will sooner or later start looking into VERONICA MARS ! That show deserves a proper ending, even if only a few new episodes. Come on…you know you want it, too !

I would watch the show again no matter how old she is. I would imagine that if it did come back they wouldn’t stick her back in high school and act like no time had passed. If I remember correctly when the show was going to be canceled they pitched the idea of VM being a recruit in the FBI. That would still work.

This is probably my favorite show ever, but I’m not certain I want to see a third season. To me, The Killing was all about the Rose Larsen case. What was great about it and separated it from your average Criminals Minds or Law and Orders is that it gave every aspect of the case a chance to breathe. We saw the investigation, but we also saw how it affected politics and the family of the victim. While, yes, I loved the cop characters and that aspect of the show, I also loved these other parts. This is why I will NEVER understand the whinging, pissing, moaning and whining of all these people after the first season ended. I didn’t want to leave the Larsen family behind and had they solved the murder then, we would’ve. I just don’t see how a another case would be as crazy and interesting and would be able to find another family that matches the brilliance of Michelle Forbes and Brent Sexton as Mitch and Stan. I miss the show dearly, but at the same time I feel the story has been told and it ended on a brilliant note. Bringing it back with a mostly new cast and a new story and a lower budget, all you’re doing is risking going out with a whimper instead of the band it ended on now. There’s something to be said about just doing two brilliant seasons, see: British Office, instead of dragging the show out so long that it ends up having to be put of it’s misery, see: American Office.

To me, the season 1 ending was one of the most clever in memory. I’ll never forget the look on agent Linden’s face while sitting on that plane listening to that phone call. I don’t understand all the hoopla since nobody complained about “Who shot J.R.?” on Dallas.

I have a love/hate relationship with this show. I hated the way they didn’t resolve the murder in the first season, I hated the way Linden’s will she/won’t she move to California dillema just drug on, hated the beausoliel storyline, I hated watching Mitch week after week, and I felt let down that there was no big reason that Rosie was killed, she was just in the wrong place and overheard the wrong thing. But, I loved the chemsty between the characters, I loved Joel Kinnaman and Brent Sexton (I thought they knocked it out of the park week after week), I loved the whole Darren/Gwen/Jamie political corruption storyline, and I loved how everything progressed when they finally started focusing on the Casino.

Well, I will watch it for sure, but let’s hope that I don’t have to recorded first and then fast forward half of every episode as I did in the first 2 seasons, frankly, the slow motion was as the title applied, “Killing”, or it killed me at least.

If you want more then you should see the two series from the original European versions. Even the first series is worth watching as it has a different ending and much of the storyline is different.
The second series is a totally new story.

The American version wasn’t too bad, but I got bored during the second half. Good climax though.

Gee, did someone pee in your Cheerios? With hundreds of channels, and thousands of programs, isn’t it just easier to not watch a show you don’t like. It seems like that is easier, and keeps your blood pressure lower, than insulting a show that others (obviously) like. Or, do you just aroused by insulting other readers? If that’s it, try getting a life.

This made my day, even though it was pretty sweet by itself. I hope this comes true! The cast (even though finding another gig shouldn’t be a problem) and show really deserve it. If this deal worked out for Damages, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work for The Killing. I want my Linden and Holder back! Somehow I doubt this will come true but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Wasted two years watching a dumb show with lousy acting for the most part. Characters were annoying; writing was inane; ending was stupid. The Swedish guy has some potential in something else, but that’s about it.

Loved this show – the characters, the pacing, the plot, politics,everything! I changed to Directv because I was so angry at the way DISH handled cutting it off in the middle of the second to last episode even though later they put it on another channel so I was able to finish. I SO hope it is continued with Linden and Holder!!!

I am very picky about TV shows. I mostly like to watch movies. The majority of television is stupid reality shows, boring talk shows….or worse, crime dramas where attractive actors run around solving crimes with unrealistic means. I love that these actors appearances where played down and we got to see raw acting talent. There were a couple areas that could use some tweaking, but on the whole it made me want to watch….actually google waiting for second season….and now google waiting on season 3. I would never get dish TV due to the chance not to have AMC, and I’m really disappointed the killing was killed. :-(

I thought it best to be on amc.the dark gloomy setting fitted the genre of other shows done on the network, not to mention they could get away with alot more.this made it easier to let the realness show up in each and every character without being shamed of letting something as being to gruesome or swearing to much be a factor as it would take away from the real emotion.what I’m saying is you can’t baby down this kind of drama. you can budget it lower and it still be awesome. My curiosity is how well will it do in other slots on another network with fanbase already sucked in at amc.and how tame would it be on another network?

This show was great and I’m sorry to see it struggling to return. I guess I assumed that season 3 might involve a reckoning concerning her first incident and stay at a mental health facility. The acting was great and the mood created was for me intense. the chemistry between Linden and Holder terrific. Bravo and a show well done. I’m hoping you return.

Yes please have a season 3. I dumped my dish tv to go to direct just so I could see my favorites shows that came on AMC.. TO bad Dish maybe you should listen to your customers..The killing is a great series..

I was very late to party in regards to “The Killing”. I subscribed to Netflix a month ago and found the show on there. I watched Season 1 in three days! I then purchased Season 2 (Amazon) and watched that in 3 days. I love the show. It only got tiresome when dealing with Sarah and her son Jack, but the show is tremendous. Great cast, and the writing made you really care for/hate the people in the show. Bring us Season 3!!! (netflix!!)

I see that the Yanks are doing a season of the Danish/ Swedish ‘The Bridge’. This is another excellent series from us Euro ‘s. Please watch it. The USA/Mexican contrast should be very interesting. Some excellent stuff coming people! Oh, and the Euro second season of ‘The Killing’ was very good. This will be your ‘Season 3’ presumably.

Love The Killing!! I didn’t miss an episode! Would love to see it return to TV. I could see this show going many different directions, from one of the main chacters being a serial-killer to one of the government people falling in love with Sara. OR….who knows???? Anyway, please bring it back…love the actors, love the story line, just love it all!!

I would so watch another season of “The Killing” as I have not missed a single episode. I don’t have Netflix or Direct TV, I unfortunately have Dish, but this show I would download each week or buy the season to keep up but am so hoping Linden & Holder will hook up soon, especially since Holder is so good with Linden’s son. Do something with the show!!! Pleeeeeassssse!!!!!!

Here’s an idea that can be considered, what if each season there was a deffirent victim? Keep linden and holder, keep mort of the cat just different victims with different suspects, different situations, different types of murderer. Political, Marcia,gangs, white collar crimes the result in murderer wall st. And such. With linden and holder solving each grim at the end in of every season.

I loved the Killing, did not miss an episode. I think it could be just as good with another murder and another family. That would make it more realistic, after all isn’t that what detectives do? Please bring it back on Direct TV.